Exclusive interview with Clint Richardson - 8/31/2011

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Clint Richardson was drafted 36 overall by the Sixers and played in Philadelphia from 1979-85, coming up under Doug Collins and later combining with Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney, forming the backcourt rotation that would help the Sixers to their 1982-83 NBA title. He played an additional two seasons with the Pacers and took up a brief stint in Europe before hanging up his sneakers. We sat down with the Seattle native recently to talk about his experiences as a young guard in the NBA and the special chemistry that brought the Sixers' championship team together.

Sixers.com: What kind of things have you been involved with recently?

Clint Richardson: I was the athletic director for the archdiocese for a couple years. Now I’m the area coordinator for Professional Athletes Outreach. We deal with all of the Christian professionals in the NFL and Major League Baseball. Hopefully, we’re going to expand it back into the NBA. When I was playing, Bobby Jones and I were involved along with Julius Erving. Bobby’s coming out this Friday to speak at a coach’s conference for me. I’ll be picking Bobby up at the airport on Friday. I told him that if he doesn’t do a good job on Saturday, he’s going to have to hitch-hike back to the airport on Sunday! [laughs]

S.C: Having grown up and attended college in Seattle, what were you thinking when the Sixers drafted you and you had to move across the country?

CR: Jack McMahon [former Sixers scout] and those guys had been watching me for a few years. I kind of had an idea. We were playing at the University of Reno and Jack was there. Later on, at the airport, my coach came up to me and said ‘the Philadelphia 76ers are in love with you.’ That was probably my junior year. Over the next year, they kept in touch and on draft day, they told me I was going to be their first or second pick. I was a little disappointed I wasn’t their first pick! That’s how it started and it’s been that way ever since… I’m hardcore. It’s the Sixers good or bad.

S.C: What was it like being a rookie on the Sixers when they made the Finals in 1980?

CR: It was crazy. Doug [Collins] got hurt early in the season and I started 34 games. We didn’t lose a beat and made it to the Finals. That’s not a bad way to start out with an organization! Originally, I signed a three-year contract but they came back to me my second year and wanted to sign me for another seven years. That was my issue when I got traded. I wanted to finish my career in Philadelphia. That’s the only team I wanted to play for. Period.

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S.C: What was Doug Collins like as a teammate?

CR: Doug and I knew each other well. I was a rookie and Doug was coming back from his injuries so I had to see him all summer. I couldn’t imagine having to play against him. It’s a different experience playing as a teammate than it is an opponent. Doug’s smart. He’s a student of the game. Billy [Cunningham] was a perfectionist. Doug is close to that. He’s intense but not to the point where he’s out of control. He knows the game needs to be played hard. Everybody who played in that era and played for Billy knows execution is key. We can see how successful you are when you execute and follow directions. You have to have players who are willing to do that. Not everybody can play under that kind of system.

S.C: What was your relationship with Maurice Cheeks like given that you were about the same age and were both guards who wanted to play as much as you could?

CR: He was another one that Jack found and they [the Sixers] stole. What Jack was thinking, is ‘we have Maurice and I’m going to another small school and find someone who’s a little bigger than him and a different type of guard.’ I could play point and shooting guard. I also played small forward in college. Maurice and I played a lot together. I could play with Maurice and I could play with Andrew [Toney] too.

S.C: Andrew Toney came in as a high draft pick from a small college. Did you know he was going to have a big impact right away?

CR: Oh yeah… instantly. I could feel that we had a very good combination. I didn’t worry about starting. I knew I was going to get a lot of minutes with either Andrew or with Maurice because we were all kind of different but we could play together.

S.C: What was the mindset of the team after losing the Finals to the Lakers in ’82, because you guys pretty much steamrolled your way to the title the next season?

CR: The philosophy that year was just one day at a time. We just dismantled everybody piece by piece.

S.C: Did the fact that you swept the Lakers to win the title make it that much sweeter?

CR: I remember when we were up 3-0 that we knew they weren’t going to beat us four games in a row. Billy told us that ‘you guys have an opportunity for this team to be special… you guys have a chance to go down in history, so what do you want to do with this situation?’ We did not think about getting back at them [the Lakers]. I think our vision at that time was making history.

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S.C: What do you remember about defending Magic Johnson in that series, because he only shot 40% in the Finals?

CR: It was picking him up full court, which you don’t see a lot now. It was really just not getting into an ego thing with him and maintaining the pace of the game. We were able to establish the pace of the game, which is what we wanted. I think in the past, that’s where they got us… they established their pace and we weren’t able to counter it.

S.C: How was it that the team was able to mesh so easily bringing a talent like Moses Malone on board?

CR: That year [1983] we had four guys in the All-Star game. We were able to give each other our space and understand each other’s personalities but we were all still very close. We’re still very close. We were able to give each other our own individual personalities. The only way you can do that is if you don’t have any goofballs. We had some eccentric people, but not to the point where they were goofballs. They could be goofy but we knew they would not do anything so weird that it would hurt the team.

S.C: You were only 30 during your last season in the NBA. How did you end up playing overseas?

CR: I finished with Indiana and I tried out with Denver and had a really good summer league and they invited me back. They weren’t going to be able to work out a contract until like November or December. I got a call from my friend Danny Vranes. He said ‘I’m over here in Greece and they’ve given me a list of guards and your name’s at the head of the list.’ He said ‘this guy’s got all this money and is just throwing money away.’ Greece for five months? What could be better? I was contracted to play for their World Cup team, so I was only playing twice a month and the rest of the month, I was enjoying Greece. I was out there talking to Plato and Aristotle and those guys [laughs]. The team burned through that money in three or four months. We were getting calls from Interpol. Things just started getting weird. There were knocks at the door late at night and he [the owner] had a suitcase full of drachmas and I’m like ‘no, we’re supposed to be getting American money.’ Finally, we ended up having to flee the country! We had to check into the American Embassy. At one point, Senator Orrin Hatch got involved because Danny was from Utah. It turned into a nightmare.

S.C: Were you sad to see the Sonics leave your hometown of Seattle?

CR: The only team I care about is Philadelphia. The Sonics saw me all through high school and college but on that day [the draft] it was the Sixers. So my loyalty and my commitment are always going to be to Philadelphia. Always!

S.C: You played in the era before the 3-point shot got big. How do you think the 3-point shot has changed how guards play today?

CR: It’s big now because the coaches let them do it. We had people who could do it, but it wasn’t part of Billy’s plan. We had a specific plan and players who were talented in what they did. I think it’s kind of a joke now because it’s taken away from team basketball. When I was there with Billy, if you took a 3-point shot, you may as well have shot it from half-court. Even if you made it, you would be in trouble. It wasn’t even part of our strategy. We had so many other parts of the game down. If you shot it and missed it, you would be playing in Bora Bora.